Ahead of India’s Asia Cup 2022 opener against Pakistan, veteran batter Virat Kohli revisited his iconic 183-run knock against the arch-rivals in the group match of the 2012 edition of Asia Cup in Dhaka.
It was a high-scoring affair in which Pakistan piled up 329/6 in 50 overs on the back of brilliant centuries from Mohammad Hafeez (105) and Nasir Jamshed (112).
In reply, India rode on Kohli’s masterful 183 off 148 balls (22 fours and 2 sixes) to overhaul the daunting target with 6 wickets in hand and 13 balls to spare.
During that chase, India lost Gautam Gambhir in the very first over for a duck. Subsequently, Kohli shared a 133-run stand with Sachin Tendulkar (52 off 48 balls) for the second wicket and followed it up with a 172-run partnership with Rohit Sharma, who scored 68 off 83 balls.
“The Asia Cup always has been memorable. The 183 definitely stands out because that was kind of a revelation for me. At 23, I could play at that level. Big game, Sunday, Pakistan in a big chase. I kind of surprised myself. From there my belief grew more and more,” said Kohli in a video posted by BCCI on its official website on Saturday (August 27).
The former India skipper also recalled his match-winning 49-run knock in a low-scoring encounter against Pakistan during the 2016 edition of Asia Cup.
“The other game that was special to me and I remember is again against Pakistan. In Bangladesh, I got 49 odd on a very tricky pitch. These are kind of the games that always stay in your memory,” he said.
There is a lot of buzz around the Asia Cup 2022 clash between India and Pakistan. Since both nations don’t play each other in bilateral series, the excitement for the game becomes unmatched.
For Virat Kohli, however, it’s just another game.
“Against Pakistan, you can't really ignore what's created on the outside. But as a player as I've said many times in the past, when you step on to the field, it's any other game for you. The environment on the outside can pull you in but that is for you to enjoy and get excited about till the time you get to the park and then it is business as usual,” he said.
